It’s not sin that destroys our relationship with God it’s religion. Religion is the counterfeit of relationship. Religion is based on law – “if I do all these things right then I can have relationship with God”. But true relationship is based on grace – “Christ did everything right for me so that I could have an unbreakable relationship with God!”
Religion is where you replace a relationship with God for rules and regulations instead.
To earn your right to have a relationship with God is the very thing that stops you from having a relationship with God! It’s pride to think you can earn your right to have relationship with God. It’s Jesus who earned our right to have a relationship with God.
When you fail to see the finished work of Christ in completing propitiation, forgiveness, justification, righteousness, sanctification and redemption in order to bring us into an unbreakable relationship with God, then you will try to earn your relationship with God through working to earn, keep or complete all these things. These things however are gifts to us through faith and not rewards through works. The New Covenant life now is about the fruit of all these gifts manifesting in our life through relationship with God. They are fruits of salvation not works in order to earn, keep or complete salvation. Good works are the fruit of relationship not the cause of it. This mind shift will take you out of performance based Christianity that is sin conscious and into faith based Christianity that is Christ conscious and empowering.
When we resist sin now as believers it’s not because we’re afraid of God or His consequences, instead we have no interest in walking in the same direction as sin because we have been captivated and conquered by Christ and are walking in His direction now. We may stumble occasionally but when we do, we stumble in Christ’s direction! And the more we enjoy this life and relationship with Him the less sin appeals to us. We don’t need external laws and rules and boxes to check to tell us how to live. Christ is the life inside of us and His desires and heart and nature are at work in us compelling and calling us into the life He has for us now.
NEVER exchange that for religion!
